"The vaccine may be only 50% effective for the South African mutation" | Israel today

According to the British Minister of Health, authorities in the kingdom have evidence of a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine for corona • "A clinical trial is being conducted to test whether the vaccine works against the mutation"

The South African mutation in the corona virus could reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine against the virus by 50%, British Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Thursday.

The UK started using the Astrazenica vaccine about three weeks ago // Photo: Reuters

In a video published in the British media, taken from a network conversation that Hancock has with businessmen and travel agents, the minister was heard saying that the authorities have evidence of a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine, which is caused by the mutation.

"We are testing it. We are conducting a clinical trial in South Africa to test whether the Asterzanica vaccine works against the mutation," he said during the call.

"Even so, if we vaccinate the population and then there is a new mutation that will escape the vaccine, we will return to the starting point."

In response to the minister, Britain's chief scientific adviser said yesterday that it was still too early to know how resistant the South African mutation was to vaccines against the virus.

"We will find out how effective the vaccines are against it," said Sir Patrick Valance.

"This mutation is different from the Brazilian mutation in its form, which may indicate that they are differently identified by antibodies."

"I think it is too early to know the effect this will have on the effect among vaccinated people, but it is worth remembering that the response to vaccines reaches a very high amount of antibodies, so they may overcome the mutations," Valance added.

"We do not know, but there is certainly a source of concern."

Valance also noted that according to data from the British Ministry of Health, so far only 44 cases of Corona patients with the South African mutation are known, with estimates of the maximum number of mutation carriers in the kingdom not exceeding 71 patients.